North Korea ratified a mutual defense treaty with Russia, committing each nation to support the other in the event of an armed attack, North Korean state media KCNA reported on Tuesday.
The Treaty mandates that both sides “immediately provide military and other assistance by all available means” should either country enter a state of war.
According to Reuters, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin had reached such an agreement during a summit in June, where the former described it as a move to elevate their relationship to the level of an “alliance”.
Putin has already signed the agreement. Kim Jong Un signed a decree ratifying the agreement on Monday, which will come into force once both nations ratification instruments.
The announcement of the mutual defense treaty comes amidst global concern over the deepening military ties between the two nations, with North Korea reportedly having deployed tens of thousands of troops to assist Russia in its conflict with Ukraine.
More than 10,000 North Korean troops are stationed in Russia, Kyiv, Seoul and Washington reported, with U.S. and Ukrainian sources indicating that some of them have engaged in combat in Kursk, near the Ukrainian border. Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that North Korean troops had sustained casualties in clashes with Ukrainian forces, marking what he called a “new chapter in global instability.”
